


In These Arms, Part XI: The Echo Of His Voice

by mrpicard



Series: Star Trek: TNG - In These Arms [11]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Blood, M/M, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-08-10 03:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7829287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A visitor opens quite a few old wounds - and the visitors that come after him cause new ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE NOTE: This part makes the most sense if you have read my story "The Dreams That We Seek" - it references it quite heavily and also features a lot of characters from it.
> 
> This part is set about three and a half years after the previous one.

It was night aboard the Enterprise, which basically meant that the lights throughout the ship were dimmed and that the usually busy corridors had a much smaller amount of officers hurrying from one point to another. Furthermore, a quiet peacefulness had enveloped the entire ship - including, of course, the captain's quarters... at least until a brief flash - undetected by the internal sensors - disrupted the semi-darkness in those very quarters.

A young-looking man appeared and looked around frantically, as if he expected someone else to materialize right next to him. Only when he was certain that no one would follow for now did he relax slightly, raised his bloodstained hands and ran them across his forehead in a gesture of utter exhaustion. He had gone through hell to accomplish this journey, and now that he had reached his destination, all he wanted was to curl up in a corner and sleep.

And yet he had to be sure he was where he wanted to be.

 _Absolutely_ sure.

He looked around once more and his gaze fell on the door to what he knew would be the bedroom - he was very familiar with the layout of the quarters in which he was standing, even though the ones he remembered didn't have as many pleasant-looking plants and framed pictures on the walls.

He slowly walked up to the door and, much to his astonishment, it opened without asking him for a code. He walked through and could not help but stare at the sight that greeted him: Two people, fast asleep in a big, luxurious bed. No daggers, no handcuffs, no agonizer. The only things on one of the bedside tables were a small blue bottle and, next to it, a tiny device in the shape of a symbol the man recognized immediately. He reached inside the pocket of his ragged pants, took out a dirty note and looked at the rather crude drawing on it. Yes, no doubt - it was the same symbol.

He took a few steps towards the bed, his bare, dirty feet sinking into the carpet. He knew he had no choice - he _had_ to take a closer look and make sure he really was in the right place. Of course, everything seemed that way so far, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. He finally reached the bed and looked at the men inside - and almost screamed in horror when he recognized their faces.

It was _them_!

He had been tricked!

They would get up any second now, and this time they would torture him to death, just like they had done with his father, and - no, wait...

He looked closer and only now did he realize that the older man in the bed didn't have a goatee. His younger lover, however, did - but his arms were free of the thick scars that a certain someone else had. What finally convinced the man, however, was the peaceful and friendly look on their sleeping faces.

They were _really_ not who he had assumed them to be - and yet, in a way, they were.

He took another step closer - and suddenly, before he could even _begin_ to react, the older man had jumped out of the bed and was pointing something that looked very much like a weapon at him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

That voice...!

The young man staggered backwards, stumbled over his own feet and fell down hard on his back. His opponent was next to him in seconds, the weapon still raised.

"What the hell's going on?" the other man suddenly exclaimed from the bed, and the young man shuddered visibly - _another_ voice that had been drilled into his brain, also irreversibly connected to the unspeakable horrors that he had gone through.

"Please... please... don't hurt me," he finally managed to croak despite the utter terror that had captured him.

The older man glanced at the ceiling. "Computer, lights."

The lights went on and the man closed his eyes and tried to shield his face with his arms - he had spent too many weeks in darkness. Tears shot into his eyes and it took him quite a bit of an effort to wipe them away because new ones appeared almost immediately. When he finally managed to get at least some of his vision back, the first thing he saw was the man with the weapon, only now the look on his face was completely different: It was one of shock, disbelief... and recognition.

" _René_...?!"


	2. Chapter 2

 

René stared at the man with the phaser in utter confusion - how was it possible that he recognized him?!

And then it dawned on him - the one thing he was certain he had understood correctly when he had heard the security guards in front of his cell talk about LaForge's latest invention was the fact that, in this so-called mirror universe, everyone had a counterpart.

It had simply never occured to him that _he_ would have one as well.

"Uncle...?" he asked cautiously.

The man's face hardened and René flinched - he suddenly looked a lot like a certain _other_ man. "What is this? Are you a shapeshifter of some sort? If your intention is to -"

"Jean-Luc, wait a minute," the younger man in the back suddenly interrupted gently and then looked at their guest. "You're not from around here, are you?"

René briefly glanced at him, unable to do more - after all, _he_ looked _exactly_ like a certain other man. "No, I'm not."

"What's your name?"

"René Picard."

"You can't be," Picard insisted but both men ignored him.

"Where are you from?"

"Earth. I'm a citizen of the Terran Empire."

"The Terran Empire?" Picard echoed. "That is impossible."

"It makes sense, though," the younger man said. "Look at his clothes."

"It does _not_ make sense," Picard shot back. "The Terran Empire fell centuries ago. The universe he's referring to is ruled by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. And we haven't had any visits from them in over a decade."

"Klingons and Cardassians are usually slaves," René said. "We Terrans rule the galaxy."

"If that is so, then what happened to you?" Picard demanded. "You said you're Terran, you rule - but you certainly don't _look_ like as if you do."

"I'm not like them. My father was the leader of the Terran Freedom Rebellion."  René coughed and suddenly felt himself weaken - now that he had finally reached his destination, exhaustion was quickly beginning to overtake him.

"What?" Picard asked, confused, but before René could answer in more detail, his vision began to blur and then everything went black.

 

***********

 

"Captain, this young man here has been put through extensive torturing," Pulaski said and put down the tricorder with which she had just scanned her latest patient who was lying on a biobed, fast asleep. "He's completely exhausted."

Picard looked at him. "What about his claim that he's my nephew?"

Pulaski put the tricorder away. "My tests aren't complete yet - his DNA has a few strange patterns - but so far things indicate that your DNA and his are a close match, which means that the two of you are indeed related. In what way I can't tell yet, but uncle and nephew certainly is a strong possibility."

"But he claims he's from another universe," Picard objected.

"That would explain the slight anomalies in his DNA," Pulaski confirmed. "However, the medical information we have on members of that other universe is very limited. I've contacted Deep Space Nine and asked for the data, but it's gonna take some time for it to arrive. We're pretty far away from the Bajoran system."

"I'm not sure what good it will do anyway since he said he's from the Terran Empire. He didn't seem familiar with the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance."

"There _is_ this theory of certain things having two possible outcomes," Pulaski mused. "Maybe we're dealing with a Terran Empire here where Earth never fell."

Picard looked once more at René.

_'This is what he would have looked like today.'_

_'Time is the fire in which we burn...'_

He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again. "You said he was tortured? I don't see any injuries except for the ones on his hands."

"That's no surprise, given the nature of the torture," Pulaski said and picked up a hypospray. "He may seem fine, but his nerve endings are highly stimulated and extremely sensitive to input - I would guess that he was exposed to some kind of neural pain stimulator, and not just once or twice. This level of sensitivity is the result of _weeks_ of this kind of torture."

"How could anyone _do_ this...?" Picard whispered, and immediately regretted it - sentimentality was _not_ something he could afford.

Pulaski sighed. "From what we know of the Terran Empire, this is probably one of the _less_ hideous things they think of."

"Can I talk to him?"

"No, not now." Pulaski pressed the hypo against René's neck and emptied it. "I won't risk waking him at this point. Maybe tomorrow - but no guarantees."

"Very well." Picard tugged his uniform jacket into place. "I'm going to arrange for a senior staff meeting at 0900 hours. Please bring your findings so far and anything new you might have."

"Yes, Captain."

Picard took a deep breath, glanced once more at René and then walked out of sickbay.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Alex slowly walked into Laurent's room, stopped and looked at Picard, who was standing next to their son's bed, staring at the sleeping little boy. "Jean-Luc?"

The captain didn't look up.

Alex sighed inwardly and then walked up to him. "Jean-Luc. _Hey_."

Picard looked up and his eyes widened when he realized he had company. "Oh, Alexander. I didn't hear you come in." He cleared his throat. "I... umm... I'm sorry I walked right past you when I came back from sickbay earlier."

"It's okay. I figured you needed some time to yourself."

Picard glanced at Laurent. "Let's go to the living room, I don't want to wake him up." He gently adjusted the boy's blanket and then followed Alex out of the small room and into the living area where the two men sat down next to each other on the couch.

Silence.

"So... what happened in sickbay?" Alex asked cautiously. "What did Kate say?"

Picard sighed. "She said that it's probably René indeed."

"But not _your_ René."

"No."

Silence.

"He... he looks just like René would look today if... if..."

"If that fire hadn't happened," Alex concluded.

"Yes."

Silence.

"René was seven years old when I met him for the first time," Picard said softly. "I should've visited him on the day he was born. But no, I was too stubborn and proud and my dislike for Robert kept me from even talking to him - I only exchanged messages with Marie, but never René. I ignored his presence for a long time, and when I finally started to give him the love and attention he deserved, he... he was taken from me."

Alex briefly squeezed his husband's hand but said nothing.

"It should've been me who died, you know? I'm the one with the dangerous job in space. He was just an innocent boy."

Alex frowned. "Jean-Luc, you mustn't think like that."

"But it's true," Picard insisted. "And now he's right here, in sickbay -"

"Wait," Alex interrupted. "I know it has to be incredibly tempting to think of that young man in sickbay as some sort of second chance, but you mustn't forget that he's not your René. He's _not_ from our universe."

"I know that."

"I know that you know," Alex countered. "But do you actually _realize_ it? I know it's incredibly insensitive for me to insist on this right now, but you have to remember that the René Picard in sickbay isn't _your_ nephew."

Silence.

"It's not insensitive at all," Picard finally muttered. "You're absolutely right, in fact. We don't know what he's doing here or how he even managed to come here - and we also don't know if others will follow. I have to focus on these issues and the potential threat he represents, not his identity." He sighed again. "I should not have any problems with this, I've been a starship captain for decades. I should be completely unaffected."

" _No_ one would be unaffected by something like this, and I'm not suggesting that you should be - you're not a robot," Alex shot back. "I'm just saying you should remember at all times that the René in sickbay is not your René. That's all."

Silence - until Picard looked up and into his husband's eyes. "Thank you, Alexander."

Alex smiled slightly and squeezed Picard's hand once more.

**********

 

"Escaped!" Picard hissed. "I still can't believe it - _no_ one has ever managed to escape from this ship!"

"He must have had help from someone other than just the guards."

"Who in their right mind would help that rat?!"

"Well..."

The captain turned around. "You have something to say?"

Alexander casually rubbed his scarred hands together. "The crew sure has."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"They say _you_ helped. He's _your_ nephew."

Picard glared at his lover. "I killed my own brother to stop his stupid little movement - it would make no sense for me to spare his son!"

"The crew has never been good at logical thinking," Alexander remarked.

Picard walked up to the cabinet in the corner, grabbed the glass of ale that he had placed there earlier and gulped its content down. Then he slammed the glass back on the cabinet and resumed his pacing. "Don't put yourself above them. You're this ship's interrogator and _you_ have not been helpful either."

"I _am_ in the process of interrogating both guards. They admit that they let him out but nothing further has come from them - so far. I'll get there."

"Let's hope you will - for your sake."

"It won't take care of the actual problem, though. As far as I can see, the only way to resolve this situation quickly is to get René back."

"We will. Count on it."

"I bet his disappearance has something to do with the unusual sensor readings LaForge picked up."

Picard harrumphed. "LaForge invents unusual sensor readings whenever there's a problem he's too incompetent to handle."

" _LaForge to Picard._ "

The two men glanced at each other before Picard raised his hand and slapped the communicator on his vest. "Picard."

" _Captain, I've found something that might be of interest to you._ "

"What is it?"

" _It's about our escaped prisoner - I think you should call for a meeting. This concerns the entire ship."_

Picard raised an eyebrow. "LaForge, I don't like being told what to do."

" _Sorry, Captain, but -_ "

"Alright, alright... tell the other senior officers we'll meet in half an hour."

" _Very well. LaForge out._ "

"Now what could possibly be so important that he wants a staff meeting?" Alexander wondered.

"That's none of your concern," Picard said gruffly. "Be glad that I let you come to staff meetings in the first place. I wouldn't have to - you're not an officer."

"You know as well as I do that a ship's interrogator has to be informed at all times about what's going on aboard the ship he or she is assigned to - we can't do our job otherwise," Alexander retorted. "Besides, this _does_ concern me since René is _my_ prisoner, too."

"You'll have him back." Picard raised his index finger. "And when that happens I expect immediate results, is that clear?"

"Of course. Have I ever disappointed you?"

"No, not really." Picard slowly walked up to his lover. "Although there _are_ still a few areas in which you could improve your performance - if you agreed to one in the first place."

"I've told you many times - I'm fine with taking care of _some_ of your needs, but I'm not going to become your bottom boy," the interrogator snarled. "You'll have to find someone else for that now that Bashir is dead."

"I've never had any problems in that regard."

"You might now, given the crew's feelings about you and your possible involvement in René's escape."

"Don't you worry about that. There _are_ still quite a few handsome young men aboard who would give their right arm to take your place as the captain's man."

Alexander glared at him. "And _I_ would gladly hack off _both_ their arms if they tried."

Picard grinned. "I'm glad you still care for me." He reached out his hand and caressed his lover's bearded chin. "I'd love for you to show me right now just _how_ much you care, but I have to prepare for the meeting. Shame." He turned around and walked towards the door. "I'll see you there in half an hour. And, who knows, if LaForge proves his incompetence once more I might have to ask for your services after all - the ones of an interrogator, that is."


	4. Chapter 4

 

"How is René, Doctor?" Picard asked and put his hands on the huge Observation Lounge table.  
  
"Unchanged," Pulaski replied. "However, I do have some news for you, which is why I asked to see you before the official meeting - I thought it would be better to tell you this in private."  
  
Picard froze. "What is it?"

"I gave René a very strong sedative, but for some reason it didn't seem to work properly. He woke up several times. I think it has to do with his slightly different genetic make up."

Picard leaned forward. "Why didn't you call me when he was awake?"  
  
"He was in no shape for a long conversation, it was difficult enough to get him to focus. And he _really_ needs to rest."

Picard took a deep breath. "Alright - what did he tell you?"

"He repeated his claim that he's from the Terran Empire."

"But -"

"I know what you're going to say," Pulaski interrupted. "I asked, and he told me that, in the history of his universe, Captain Kirk was never assassinated by Spock, like he was in the mirror universe we have gotten to know. In René's universe, Kirk discovered the plans and had Spock executed. Their empire thrived, despite Spock's prediction that it would fall at some point."

"Which still leaves us with the question of why René, a Terran, is in such bad shape."

"I had a chance to ask him about that as well," Pulaski said and paused briefly before she continued. "He says that he is the son of Robert Picard, former leader of something called the Terran Freedom Rebellion, a movement whose goal it is to overthrow those who rule the Terran Empire."  
  
"He mentioned something like that when he appeared in our bedroom, but... _Robert_...? Leading a rebellion...?"  
  
"Apparently so. It seems that your counterpart and his crew were unaware of René's existence until only recently. They captured him along with a few other rebels and when they interrogated him, his true identity was revealed."  
  
"You mean when they _tortured_ him," Picard remarked tonelessly.  
  
Pulaski looked away. "Speaking of torture... there's something else you need to know."  
  
"What, Doctor?"  
  
"The only thing René seemed terrified of when he realized that I was questioning him was... well... your husband's presence. He asked me several times if he was there."  
  
"Alexander? What does _he_ have to do with all this?"

Pulaski looked back at Picard. "This may be hard to process, but there is an Alex in René's universe, too, and, just like in this one, you two are a couple. The difference is that the other Alex isn't the Enterprise's bartender - he's the ship's interrogator. _He_ 's the one who tortured René."  
  
Picard gaped at her. "What? Alexander could _never_ -"  
  
" _That_ universe's Alex can - and he _has_. Trust me."  
  
Picard ran his hands over his bald head. "I don't believe this..."  
  
"It's up to you if you want to tell Alex about this, but I personally think you should. He has a right to know."  
  
Picard closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Anything else?"  
  
"Yes - I found a curious-looking device in René's pocket. I gave it to Geordi for further analysis."  
  
Picard, eager to focus on ship's business instead of the news he had just received, tapped his communicator. "Picard to LaForge."  
  
" _LaForge here._ "  
  
"Dr. Pulaski says she gave you a device? Have you been able to determine what it is yet?"  
  
" _I'm working on it right now_ ," the chief engineer replied. " _What I know so far is that it seems to be a device that is used to jump from one reality to another. And... it's replicated._ "  
  
"Replicated?" Picard echoed.  
  
" _Yes, sir. Whoever designed this thing has more of them - and could decide to send a few visitors._ "  
  
Picard looked at Pulaski, who looked back at him with an equal amount of shock on her face.

 

**********

 

"That rat not only escaped, he also stole one of our AR devices," Yar snarled and threw a PADD on the conference table.  
  
Picard glared at her. "How could that happen? What about the guard?"  
  
"I found him in the back of the room, his throat cut."  
  
"At least the prison cell guards are still alive and also finally talking," Alexander chimed in and shot a triumphant glare at Yar. "One of them has admitted that he told René where to find the AR devices - and also how to use one to get to a certain universe in which he would be 'safe'. There was no help from anyone else."  
  
The senior officers looked at their captain, fully aware that the young interrogator had just saved him from being the next person in the agony booth.  
  
Picard returned their cold stares and then slowly let go of the handle of his dagger that he had been ready to draw. "Do we know which universe René went to?"

"We do," LaForge confirmed and leaned forward. "This has to do with the unusual sensor readings I wanted to discuss with you all, actually. Each AR device emits a tracking signal that only our computer can detect. I designed them that way because I didn't want for people to get lost in alternate universes." He typed a few commands into the small console on the table and a holographic simulation of a nebula filled with little connected dots appeared above the center of the table. "This is a rather crude representation of the concept of alternate realities. It's the basis on which I began my work on the AR devices." He typed in another command and two red dots appeared. "This is where our devices are. And this..." he pushed another button and another small red dot appeared nearby, "is where our friend is. The realities are so close that he's most likely on a ship just like this one."  
  
"Can we get there, too?" Picard asked.  
  
"Of course - but as you can see, I have only two devices left. I haven't had the chance to replicate more of them yet, it's a rather complicated process. Takes weeks."  
  
"Can you give us more detailed information about that other universe?" Riker asked.  
  
"Nothing too precise, but I'd guess things are somewhat similar there to what they are here. Ships, maps, stars... and people. We all probably have a counterpart."  
  
"If that's true, I should be able to easily gather information from their ship's computer," Lore said. "I'll just need an access panel and we'll know all that we need to know in a matter of minutes."  
  
Picard stroked his goatee. "Alright. You and I will go."  
  
Riker looked at him, his Borg eyes whirring. "Captain?"  
  
"I'm not in the mood for your unwanted advice, Commander."

"I wasn't going to _give_ any," Riker snapped. "I simply see no reason for anyone to go in the first place. Why don't we just leave René there?"  
  
"I'm _not_ going to let a prisoner escape from this ship," Picard said firmly. "Besides, do you really think we should leave Terran Empire technology in the hands of a possible enemy?"

Riker made a face. "No, sir."

Picard looked at Lore. "We'll leave in an hour. Prepare yourself accordingly."

"Yes, sir."

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Picard slowly walked down the corridor, lost in thoughts. He knew he should have returned to his quarters by now in order to talk to Alex, and yet -

" _Pulaski to Captain Picard._ "

He stopped. "Picard here."

" _Captain, I think you'd better come to sickbay._ "

**********

 

René screamed - and then opened his eyes.

Pulaski, who was standing next to him, quickly put her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, René! You're safe."

He stared at her, his eyes wide open.

"You had another nightmare," she explained gently and took her hand away.

"Who... who are you?"

"Don't you remember? We've talked before."

He looked more closely. "You're the doctor, right?"

"That's right."

He slowly sat up and reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. "I remember now. You were asking me questions."

"Yes, I was." Pulaski watched him drink and put the glass back before she continued. "René... there's someone here to see you. I called him when I realized that your physical condition was improving more quickly than I expected and that you'd be waking up soon."

The young man looked around in the empty sickbay. "Who?"

"He's in my office, I didn't want for you to see him right after that nightmare you were having."

René looked back at her. "It's _him_ , isn't it?"

"Yes, but I can assure you that he won't hurt you in _any_ way."

René took a deep breath - and then he nodded.

"Thank you. I'll tell him." Pulaski took one last look at René and then walked away from the biobed and into her office.

A few seconds later Picard stepped out. "Hello, René."

That _voice_.

Oh God.

"Hello... Uncle."

"I'm not your uncle," Picard said quickly - _too_ quickly for his own taste.

_'Time is the fire in which we burn.'_

He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I know you told Doctor Pulaski quite a few things already about where you came from, but I need to know one more detail for now. I hate to press you like this, but it _is_ rather urgent that you tell me."

René simply looked at him.

Picard slowly came closer but made sure not to walk _too_ quickly - no need to frighten the young man even more than he already was. "Do you think your uncle is capable of coming after you?"

"It wouldn't surprise me. I was told I'd be safe here, but I guess I should have known better."

"You _are_ safe here," Picard said immediately. "If he comes, I will do _everything_ I can to protect you."

René shook his head. "If he comes, _no_ one will be able to stop him."

Picard reached out his hand in an instinctive gesture of comfort -

René ducked away from it.

The captain froze for a second and then pulled back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You look so much like him."

"But I am _not_ him."

The two men started at each other desperately, neither of them fully comprehending what was happening - until René broke the silence. "Doctor Pulaski told me there's a René in this universe, too. Is that true?"

Picard bit his lower lip. "There _was_ a René Picard."

"What happened to him?"

"He died in a fire when he was young."

René's eyes widened. "I'm sorry."

Picard looked away.

More silence.

"Do you have children?" René asked.

"Yes. A son."

"What's his name?"

"Laurent."

"How old -"

" _Security to Captain Picard!_ "

Picard tensed. "Picard here."

" _We just picked up a very brief flash of unusual internal sensor readings in your quarters, sir! Mr. LaForge says they match the frequency on which the device he analyzed operates!_ "

"He's here," René said tonelessly.

Picard stared at him.

_'And he's in my quarters.'_

_'Alexander.'_

_'Laurent.'_

_'Oh my God.'_


	6. Chapter 6

 

Picard looked at the sleeping boy on the couch next to him. The last thing he had needed when he and Lore had arrived had been a crying child - fortunately, the sedative Lore had replicated had worked quickly and the boy was no longer a distraction.

It was time to focus on more important issues.

On the other hand...

"So, this is my son."

"He's _not_ your son," Alex barked from the back of the room where he had been put on a chair, arms held together behind his back by an old-fashioned rope.

"He _could_ be." Picard ran the tip of his dagger over Laurent's cheek. "How did this happen, anyway? You and _him_ \- two men - having a child? In our universe, the procedure to accomplish this is quite difficult and expensive."

"That's none of your business," Alex muttered.

"It really pleases me that you're just as spiteful as another Alexander I know." Picard grinned nastily. "It's a shame that I need you as a somewhat intact hostage - it would be interesting to see _you_ suffer for a change."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, alarmed.

"On my ship, you don't serve drinks, you interrogate our enemies and make their lives quite unpleasant." Picard stood up from the couch and slowly walked over to Alex. When he had reached him, he leaned down until his face was right in front of Alex'. "You know, you're as attractive as he is."

Alex pulled his head back as far as he could, a look of utter disgust on his face.

"Oh, I see... only _your_ captain may touch you, huh?" Picard smiled viciously and then turned around and walked away. "Where is he, anyway? Why isn't he marching in here with his guards? He could at least _try_ to figure out the various dampening fields we erected around this place."

Alex said nothing.

Picard looked at Lore, who was sitting at the desk, quickly typing commands into the small console in front of him. "Are you going to be finished any time soon? You said this would only take a minute."

"I underestimated their computer," Lore said without looking up. "There are quite a few security protocols protecting the more sensitive schematics. Some of them were originally programmed by a Soong-type android."

"Your counterpart?"

"No, from what I can tell it was most likely my brother's."

"You're having trouble with _that_ talking toaster's encryptions?"

Lore looked up, his purple eyes glaring at Picard. "I'll be done in a few seconds."

"Good. Remember, we didn't come here just for information. We have to take care of other, more pressing matters."

The console in front of Lore began to beep rapidly.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's trying to shut down the force field in front of the door," the android said.

"Are your modifications in place?"

"Yes. And I've also gotten all the information we need."

"Then I guess it's time for phase two of our plan." Picard raised his hand with the dagger and turned towards the door. "Go on."

Lore typed in a few more commands - and the lights went into emergency mode, the door opened and revealed the lone figure of another man named Jean-Luc Picard.

  
  
**********

 

René looked at the back of Dr. Pulaski, who stood in front of a nearby console, studying the results of a blood test she had performed on him.

It was now or never.

He slowly and quietly stood up from his biobed, reached inside the pocket of his new pants, pulled out a hypospray that he had stolen earlier and began to sneak up on her.

He had to be quick.

 _Very_ quick.

 

**********

 

The two captains stared at each other in the dim emergency light.

"I'm glad you could come," the bearded one finally said.

"The pleasure is _not_ mine. You are attacking my -"

"It's not an attack. If I had wanted to attack you, you wouldn't be standing there. I'd call it... well... an item retrieval mission. You have something that belongs to me, and I have something that belongs to you. We should trade."

"Trade?!"

"The concept is simple enough, or isn't it?" The Terran folded his arms across the chest. "You know... I could take you hostage right now as well since you were stupid enough to come here without guards. Not that it would have made much of a difference - one man or ten men, _he_ can take them all." He glanced at Lore, who had sneaked up behind him.

"Taking me hostage would not do you any good," Picard said calmly. "My crew listens to only my orders, and you'd never get through to René - not even with your android."

"Don't bet on -" Lore snarled, but his captain silenced him with a quick raise of his hand.

"I didn't come here to fight - you'd lose, and you know it. I simply want my nephew back, along with the device he's carrying. For those two items I give you your two items back. Like I said, a simple trade that you have no choice but to accept, because if you don't..." He walked up to the couch, stopped right next to Laurent, raised his dagger and began to stroke it casually. "Do you know how much blood a human boy can lose in 30 seconds if you cut his throat in the right place?"


	7. Chapter 7

 

Picard looked at his counterpart, who returned the intense stare - and then grinned broadly. "I have to hand it to you... you have the best poker face I've ever seen." He looked back at Laurent. "And you're right - killing him serves no real purpose. In fact, it might actually make sense to take him with me and raise him as my own."  
  
Picard's eyes widened slightly - which, fortunately, went unnoticed by his opponent, who had begun to walk over to Alex. "This one here, however... I have no need for him, other than finding him rather attractive." He reached the chair, grabbed Alex' chin, forced the young man to look up at him and then put his dagger against his throat.

"Why are you so intent on taking René back with you?" Picard asked tensely - the situation was deteriorating much more rapidly than he had anticipated. "You can always claim he was killed here."

"That's not the point. I want him back, and I will _have_ him back." The bearded captain focused his attention on Alex. "I have my dagger against your throat and _he_ tries to negotiate for the life of a nephew who isn't even his. How does _that_ make you feel?"

"I trust him," Alex managed to croak.

"Trust.... ah... now _there_ 's a word I haven't heard in a while."

"You don't even know what it _means_ ," Picard objected and was just about to say something else when loud noises interrupted him. He whirled around and could not believe his eyes when he saw René running past him and into the quarters, followed by two security officers.

Lore, who had been paying close attention, suddenly sprang into action. He reached behind his back, pulled two daggers from his belt and threw them with incredible speed and precision. They hit their targets and the officers sank to the floor, dead, each with a dagger in his heart.

René stopped running as well - Lore had pulled out yet another dagger and was pointing it right at his face.

"So, you've come to your senses," his uncle said, let go of Alex and walked up to Lore.

René looked at Picard, who was still standing at the door. "I'm sorry. I can't let him do to your family what he did to mine."

"René, don't -"

"No, please." He looked back at his uncle. "I've brought the device you want with me. I'll pull it out of my pocket, okay?"

"You know tricks won't work," Lore said and focused his gaze on René's hands.

The young man nodded and slowly pulled his left hand out of his pocket and was indeed holding the device that he slowly handed to Lore. When the android took it, however, René jumped forward quickly, pulled out his right hand in which he was holding a hypospray, reached for his uncle's neck -

And found his wrist in an iron grip.

Lore glared at him. "Did you really think you could be faster than I am?"

"It was worth a try," René said softly, his voice trembling - his plan had failed.

Lore looked at his captain, who nodded briefly, and then he quickly adjusted the device he was holding, grabbed René's hand, placed the device in it, and used the young man's fingers to activate it. René vanished in a flash - just like Lore himself a few seconds later after he had activated his own device.

The bearded Picard looked at the one at the door. "I can't say it has been a pleasure dealing with you, but I guess I have what I came for - _this_ time." He put his hand on the device on his belt, activated it and vanished in another flash.

Picard waited a few seconds and then quickly walked up to the couch and looked at Laurent, who seemed peacefully asleep. He touched the boy's neck, felt the pulse and then tapped his communicator. "Picard to sickbay."

" _Ogawa here._ "

"I need someone in my quarters immediately."

" _Right away, sir._ "

Picard turned around and walked over to Alex, who was sitting on the chair, breathing heavily. "Alexander? Are you alright?"

He knelt down in front of the chair, gently touched Alex' chin, lifted his head up... and was not surprised to see tears streaming down the young man's face.

 


	8. Chapter 8

  
  
"Report, Mr. LaForge," Picard said and looked at his chief engineer, who had just sat down next to Riker in front of his ready room desk.

"I've managed to get almost all of our systems back online - when they shut down the lights in your quarters they launched an invasive program that almost wiped out all of our systems, including life support. I caught it in time, but that was _some_ master programming."

"That's why my counterpart wasn't too interested in killing me," Picard mused. "He must have thought we'd all die anyway."

"They can always come back to make sure of that, right?" Riker asked.

LaForge shook his head. "No, not really. I had completed my analysis of the device before René stole it. The thing is that it worked for one transport to this universe and also for one back to theirs - and if my calculations are correct, it will never work for transporting into this universe again. They can visit other universes very similar to ours, but this one has been permanently closed to them by the subspace modifier the device uses. That process is irreversible unless they manage to change the basic laws of physics."

"I hope they won't," Riker muttered.

"Believe me, Commander, me too. My head still hurts from whatever it was René had in that hypospray. He came out of nowhere with that thing."

"Kate told us a similar story. I'm just glad he left the bridge alone." 

"When will the Enterprise be fully operational again?" Picard asked.

"We'll be done with the final diagnostics in about six hours, sir."

"Very well." Picard leaned back in his chair. "If there's nothing else... you're dismissed."

LaForge and Riker stood up from their chairs and LaForge walked out - but Riker stopped, waited for the ready room door to close and then turned around to face Picard.

"Anything else, Will?"

"Yes... Alex. He hasn't been in Eleven Forward in the past few days, and I haven't seen him anywhere else either. How is he?"

"He's in our quarters," Picard sighed. "It hasn't been easy for him to cope with what happened."

"Is there anything I can do? Talk to him, maybe?"

"I'm not sure if he wants to see anyone right now - but I'll ask him."

"Thanks." Riker eyed his captain. "And how are _you_ doing?"

Picard tensed slightly. "I'm alright."

"Okay - but if you need to talk, I'm here."

"I know, Will. Thank you."

 

**********

 

Picard walked into his quarters and his eyes widened when he saw Alex sitting on the couch, staring into nothingness. "Hey."

Alex tensed briefly and then looked at his husband. "Oh. Hi. If you're looking for Laurent, he's napping in his room. I just checked on him."

"I'm not looking for Laurent, I'm looking for you," Picard said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm... not sure."

Picard walked up to the couch and sat down next to the young bartender. "At least you're up again."

"Yeah... I figured it was no use to stay in bed all day."

"Will asked about you."

Alex smiled slightly. "He's probably just miffed that I haven't been around to argue with him about his horrible jazz nights in my bar."

Picard returned the smile. "No, it's not that. He's concerned about you, and has offered to talk to you."

"That's nice, but I need a little more time to come to terms with things."

"I understand. I feel the same way."

Silence.

"I'm sorry."

Picard frowned. "For what?"

"You're dealing with losing René all over again and I'm whining about having been taken hostage for a little while."

"Now, don't do this," Picard said sternly. "Neither pain is worth more or less than the other."

"I'm just sorry that I wasn't there for you or Laurent in the past few days. I wanted to, but... but..."

"It's alright." Picard quickly put his hand on Alex'. "I'm familiar with this sort of behavior - this was the first time you found yourself in a hostage situation."

"I acted like a total loser. I let that madman drag me around without even the tiniest struggle."

"You had Laurent to consider."

"That's exactly the problem," Alex said tonelessly. "I couldn't even defend my own son."

"You would not have been able to - you saw what Lore could do."

"I didn't even _try_!"

"You did the right thing by not trying," Picard said and then gently took his husband by the shoulders. "Listen to me, please?"

Alex looked up, tears in his eyes.

"If you had put up any sort of struggle, I have no doubt that our guests would have taken it out on you and Laurent. You actually saved his life by not acting the way you now think you should have acted."

"You're just saying that because you want to make me feel better."

"No, I'm not." Picard took a deep breath before he continued. "If it helps you to know this... I would have done exactly the same thing you did. Apparent cooperation was the only sound tactic."

"What would you have done if René hadn't showed up?"

Picard frowned and took his hands off his husband's shoulders. "Do we have to discuss this _now_?"

"Yes. I want to know."

Picard sighed. "Well... I would have misled my counterpart into thinking I was weak and defenseless - and then, when he least expected it, I would have incapacitated him."

Alex' eyes widened. "But Lore -"

"I happen to know Soong-type androids quite well - in the end, they're rational. He would not have continued his captain's mission, not on his own. And besides, he had no interest in René at all."

Alex slowly raised his hand and put it on Picard's cheek. "I'm so sorry you lost René. Again."

"He wasn't my René, but that doesn't make it any easier indeed," Picard admitted. "But he had taken into account that his planned attack against his uncle might fail."

"He had?"

Picard nodded. "I didn't want to add to your discomfort, so I didn't tell you, but he left a note with Kate. Apparently he placed it next to her after rendering her unconscious with the hypospray."

"What does it say?"

Picard stood up from the couch, walked up to his desk, pulled out an old-fashioned piece of paper from under his PADDs, unfolded it and then began to read.

" _Captain Picard,_  
_it was a bad idea to come here and make them aware of your presence. I have to try and get rid of my uncle in my own way, and if I fail, I will go with him. If that happens, please do not try to rescue me - you would find nothing but death in my universe. You do not belong there, just as I do not belong here._  
_René_ "

Picard stopped, his hands shaking - and, suddenly, another pair of hands closed around his.

He looked up and right into Alex' eyes that were as sad as his own.


End file.
